letter to the editor<\/a> from another former CEPD employee. First joining the district in 2019 as a consultant, his most recent employment tenure was from 2022-25 and he departed as deputy director. He agreed with the concerns raised in the exit letter, pointing out that the \u201ccontinued turnover\u201d of qualified staff in the past several years is alarming and \u201cis not normal.\u201d<\/p>\nIn response to the recent allegations, the commission drafted and adopted a new Board-Staff Relations and Commissioner Conduct Policy at its July meeting, which included guidelines on permitted and expected conduct by the board, prohibited conduct and routine contact with employees. Its purpose was \u201cto establish clear standards governing the relationship\u201d between commissioners and staff members.<\/p>\n
However, in sharing what they experienced and observed while serving the district, several former employees said similar standards or policies existed during their time \u2014 to no avail.<\/p>\n
WHAT FORMER STAFFERS SAY THEY EXPERIENCED<\/p>\n
Writer of the recent exit letter, Brighton Heard was hired as the general manager in May 2025. In his resignation letter, he raised the allegations against Commissioners John Wade and Rene Miville.<\/p>\n
Heard recalled one instance when he was at work and received a call from Miville. He said he was directed to stop what he was doing and go to the residence of Miville\u2019s relative to fix her home internet issues.<\/p>\n
Also, staff alleged that they were lashed out at when they reminded about the Florida Sunshine Law.<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn Wade, literally, bellowed at Lisa (Batchelor) and I both \u2014 he doesn\u2019t give a f\u2013 about the Sunshine Law and he\u2019ll speak to whoever he wants to whenever he wants to,\u201d Heard said, adding that Miville held a similar stance. \u201cThe two of them, literally, have no regard for the Sunshine Law.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also alleged that commissioners requested CEPD contractors to work on their private property.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsking contractors to do things outside of their scope was really a problem,\u201d Heard said. \u201cWhen the commissioners use their position as leverage with subcontractors of the district to help themselves, that\u2019s pretty wildly unprofessional.\u201d<\/p>\n
Terminated in October 2024, Daniel Munt was hired in January 2021 as technical director. He was retitled as director of operations in February 2022 and promoted to executive director in August 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the years, I had issues specifically with Rene and John Wade,\u201d Munt said.<\/p>\n
He described the fundamental issue as the constant crossing of basic operational boundaries \u2014 commissioners inserting themselves into personnel decisions and publicly tearing down staff. They would insinuate staff did not have the knowledge or skills and they were not worth their salaries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw a relentless pattern of this behavior,\u201d Munt said, calling it a compounding of little things every day. \u201cJust undermining the professionalism of the staff and the things that we were achieving.\u201d<\/p>\n
He noted that when Hurricane Ian turned his commute into a four-hour one, his remote work and salary were constantly thrown in his face in public, with the results that staffers were delivering on ignored.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen board members treat staff like personal assistants, try to force hires and fires, or berate employees from the dais, it paralyzes the entire district and drives talented professionals away,\u201d Munt said.<\/p>\n
Writer of the letter to the editor, John Riegert was a consultant and an interim employee before moving up to administrator director from December 2020 to October 2021. He was rehired in October 2022.<\/p>\n
Riegert recalled that he was one of a few people allowed on the island after Ian to inspect the beach and coastline. However, he said he was asked to prioritize the inspection of some commissioners\u2019 private property.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve personally experienced conduct by specific board members that was inconsistent with proper relations with the board, management staff and members of the public,\u201d he said. \u201cCertainly the yelling, certainly the abusive behavior toward staff, even the vendors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riegert cited one time when a commissioner walked onto a private property and got into a dispute with the people working on the property. He also pointed to possible cronyism related to CEPD business.<\/p>\n
\u201cPretty much everything mentioned in that (new) policy I\u2019ve seen happen or has happened to me,\u201d Riegert said, noting that he has witnessed the same from previous commissioners on the board.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are consistent patterns of behavior,\u201d he added. \u201cThis is not new since I\u2019ve been around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Administrator Carolyn Weaver was terminated in December 2019. She was given the title permanently in December 2018 after serving in an acting capacity after the then-administrator resigned to accept a job at Collier County. Weaver was hired as the assistant administrator in August 2018.<\/p>\n
She called her experience with past Commissioner Mike Mullins \u201chorrendous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael \u201cMike\u201d Christopher Mullins is a candidate for a seat on the CEPD\u2019s commission in the November election. He is challenging the incumbent, Commissioner Bob Walter, for Seat 3.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot of unprofessional conduct that went on,\u201d Weaver said.<\/p>\n
She described Mullins as overbearing and demanding.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted to talk at all different hours of the day. It didn\u2019t matter if it was office hours or 9 or 10 at night,\u201d Weaver said. \u201cThere was no respect for the boundaries of personal life and work life.\u201d<\/p>\n
She recalled a coworker had a family medical emergency, so she sat in on a meeting on his behalf.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was yelling at me, he was screaming at me,\u201d Weaver said of Mullins. \u201cHe was telling me that I had no right to take the meeting \u2014 that I didn\u2019t have the knowledge or intelligence to hold the meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
She alleged that there were times commissioners talked to each other about things that they should not have because it was in violation of the Sunshine Law. Weaver added that she wrote to the commission that she was not going to compromise her morals and ethics to do something \u201cnot on the up and up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The feedback she said she received was that she was not qualified for her job.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a general feeling of disdain,\u201d Weaver said.<\/p>\n
Terminated in August 2020, Joe Wagenti served as the administrator, promoted to the position in December 2019 after Weaver was fired. He was hired in March 2019 as deputy administrator.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrankly, I didn\u2019t think that anyone would verbally abuse me, but then he did,\u201d Wagenti said of Mullins. \u201cJust constant ridicule, left and right \u2014 that was Mullins\u2019 MO (modus operandi).\u201d<\/p>\n
He noted that he saw him do the same with Weaver and knew his time at the CEPD was short lived. Wagenti explained that Mullins spoke well of him in the beginning and talked about having a great working relationship with him, then suddenly Mullins just turned on him one day and laid into him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew I needed to get out of this relationship really bad because it was toxic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Wagenti said that Mullins would give him and Weaver non-CEPD tasks to perform, extraneous work that had nothing to do with the district. They would get their directives from the commission at the meeting and Mullins would be at the office the following day with a completely different set of tasks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a full week of him \u2014 and then we\u2019d be scrambling,\u201d he said. \u201cTrying to get done what the district actually wanted us to get done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wagenti spoke about a private meeting when they were going over CEPD business. Mullins started comparing him to an actor with big ears in an old vampire movie, laughing at and mocking him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018What are you driving at?\u2019 I knew what he was driving at. It was a psychological thing to belittle somebody, to make them feel smaller, to make them feel inferior,\u201d he said. \u201cI saw him do that every chance he got.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hired for a part-time position as a parking lot attendant, Lindsey Ford was promoted about a month later in October 2021 to legislative administrative aide in the office. She resigned in March 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would call in little favors here and there,\u201d she said of Miville. \u201cIt was like I was his personal assistant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ford said that he called during non-work hours and on holidays. Miville called the day before Thanksgiving, angry and complaining about the toilets in the parking lot and wanting answers.<\/p>\n
She added that he told her at one point there would be a place for her at the CEPD \u201cif she was on the right team and made the right choices,\u201d which she took as reporting to him about her coworkers.<\/p>\n
WHAT FORMER STAFFERS SAY THEY OBSERVED<\/p>\n
James Elston was hired as the administrative director in October 2021. He resigned in mid-2022.<\/p>\n
A former military service member who has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), he explained that he was never the target of unprofessional conduct by certain commissioners \u2014 but he watched it happen. Elston added that he had been around those personalities in the military, so he knew how to play along.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just stroke their ego, tell them what they want to hear. You do that and kind of stay off their radar,\u201d Elston said, noting that while he was not targeted, it was \u201chigh school\u201d drama all over.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how to play the game, but it\u2019s an exhausting game to play,\u201d he added. \u201cYou see what\u2019s being done to your coworkers and you just get fed up with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elston ended up taking two weeks off to attend a PTSD program in Boston, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the hopes of getting the tools to just ride it out because it was getting bad,\u201d he said of the work environment. \u201cThe pay was good and stuff, so I was just trying to hang on. But it just wasn\u2019t worth my mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for what he observed, Elston pointed to Miville and other commissioners verbally attacking former Executive Director Jennifer Nelson. She started in January 2021 and was terminated in June 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny decision she would make, they would attack her \u2014 they were nitpicking over stuff, overlooking the good that she did,\u201d he said. \u201cIt seemed like, no matter what, she was always the focus of negative attacks from them \u2014 everyone knew that they were targeting for Jennifer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elston added that the improper behavior extended beyond the staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been times that they offended people in meetings,\u201d he said, citing consultants and vendors. \u201cThey would just say stuff and not think about the consequences. They would just insult people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elston noted that when he submitted his resignation letter, Miville called him within an hour.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked if I would be willing to resubmit my resignation letter because what I put in the letter could make the CEPD look bad,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen he did that, it kind of just reaffirmed my decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hired in December 2020 as communications manager, Laura Aldana was terminated in mid-2023.<\/p>\n
Also not the direct target of improper conduct by any commissioners, she confirmed witnessing the disrespectful treatment of Nelson, such as calling her inefficient and making negative comments about her. Aldana pointed out that while this was taking place, they were offering a lot of praise for Munt.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then that flipped on Dan when Jennifer left and he remained. So obviously Jennifer wasn\u2019t the problem and neither was Dan,\u201d she said. \u201cObviously, there\u2019s some disconnect there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ford also spoke to the treatment of Nelson.<\/p>\n
\u201cRene made the comment that he was sick of Jennifer and she \u2018needs to stick to what she\u2019s good at, which is being a rah-rah cheerleader\u2019 \u2014 and he did the hand motions with it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRene was super unprofessional. When he would talk to her, he would belittle her,\u201d Ford added. \u201cHe made comments about her pay and she wasn\u2019t worth it. Everything she did, he couldn\u2019t stand.\u201d<\/p>\n
She noted that it was the reason behind her resignation.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made me super uncomfortable the way he talked about Jennifer. Every time that he talked to me, he complained about Jennifer,\u201d Ford said. \u201cAnd I loved that job. That was the best job I ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wagenti reported that he switched positions with Weaver because of the verbal abuse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were dozens of occasions where Carolyn would get off the phone in tears because of Mullins,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Weaver explained that she was OK with the change because she did not want to deal with it anymore. However, she also confirmed that the unprofessionalism did not end as Wagenti became the target.<\/p>\n
\u201cI listened to him on numerous occasions screaming at Joe on the phone. It would just be one call after another after another,\u201d she said. \u201cMike would call him at all hours, several days per week. There was absolutely no separation between work and life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weaver also recalled Mullins making inappropriate comments about Wagenti\u2019s physique.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsking how he got so ripped and could he train him, that kind of thing,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t care if he\u2019s a man or a woman, that\u2019s not appropriate \u2014 you don\u2019t talk to someone about their looks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lines were constantly blurred,\u201d Weaver added.<\/p>\n
In a prior request for comment, Miville denied the allegations outlined by Heard in his exit letter.<\/p>\n
Wade declined to speak on the allegations, writing via email, \u201cNO COMMENT.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for the opportunity to respond to the CEPD story on which you are reporting,\u201d Mullins said. \u201cUnfortunately, the information you shared over the phone is too vague and inadequate to provide a meaningful response.\u201d<\/p>\n
THOUGHTS OF FORMER STAFFERS ON NEW POLICY<\/p>\n
According to the new Board-Staff Relations and Commissioner Conduct Policy adopted by the commission in July, it is intended \u201cto preserve the proper separation between governance and administration.\u201d It was approved 3-2, with the commissioners named in the exit letter voting no.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like the vote kind of sums up what this policy is going to do,\u201d Elston said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that is wasn\u2019t unanimous is crazy in my opinion. Right off the bat you don\u2019t have all the commissioners on board,\u201d he added, noting that changes were put in place in the past when incidents occurred or issues were raised. \u201cThey behave themselves for a little bit and then they revert back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riegert called the new policy a \u201cpositive addition,\u201d but pointed out that the CEPD adopted similar guidelines and rules in prior years. He explained that it is simply reinforcing what is already in place.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shows that the existing requirements weren\u2019t being followed or enforced,\u201d Riegert said.<\/p>\n
He added that when employees brought attention to issues, they were forced into quitting or being terminated or they would not tolerate the behavior anymore and resigned on their own accord.<\/p>\n
Riegert also noted the split vote on a policy outlining basic standards of professionalism and respect.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who votes against that type of policy should reconsider whether they\u2019re qualified to lead,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Heard reported that the new policy \u201cprovides great guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether the commissioners will all be willing to adhere to it is the bigger question,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just words without enforcement actions behind it \u2014 there needs to be follow-through.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s going to have any meaning,\u201d Heard added.<\/p>\n
Ford described the new policy as \u201credundant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were guidelines in place and already repercussions for treating staff badly,\u201d she said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what policy you have in place. It\u2019s not going to do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have to have a policy in place to treat people professionally that work for you,\u201d Ford added.<\/p>\n
Joe Wagenti voiced support for the new policy, adding that the intent makes sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact they\u2019re going to (have to) sign it means that they\u2019re going to be responsible now,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully, everybody is going to be a big boy and have to act like an adult.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Wagenti questioned the self enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy main thing about that policy is it\u2019s just not enforceable. I just don\u2019t see how they\u2019re going to enforce it,\u201d he said, explaining that that responsibility lies with the community. \u201cThe enforcer is the public. The public has to do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aldana explained that she does not think the new policy \u201cwill do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s just a formality for them. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s coming from a genuine place,\u201d she said, pointing out how the unprofessional conduct keeps happening. \u201cIt seems kind of like a thing to save face on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aldana noted that the same commissioners cycle on and cycle off the board.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as the same people continue to be there,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that\u2019s probably the biggest problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aldana also questioned why a policy on respecting people is even necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should just respect people,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s the basics of working relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aldana suggested that the residents pay attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially since so much money is manipulated through that organization with the ad valorem and parking lots funds,\u201d she said. \u201cThey (commissioners) have so many resources that they oversee.\u201d<\/p>\n
Munt described the new policy as \u201cmostly redundant of previous rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the expanded language includes things that shouldn\u2019t even have to be spelled out in writing,\u201d he said. \u201cIn reality, it serves as a laundry list of the daily boundary violations each administration lived through.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Munt added that the CEPD has immense potential to do great work for the island.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut until the board holds its own members accountable and respects the boundary between policy and daily administration, a piece of paper won\u2019t break these destructive cycles,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Weaver voiced support for the new policy trying to make a difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, it\u2019s the try part because they\u2019ve had those policies in place,\u201d she said. \u201cWithout someone holding someone accountable for it with consequences, it\u2019s just paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weaver questioned the enforcement aspect, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people who are causing the issues are the people you would report it to,\u201d she said. \u201cSo there\u2019s really no one to enforce anyone for being accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weaver also spoke of the present and past commissioners not referenced in this article.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that no one else stepped in or bothered to make any of the other commissioners tow the line \u2014 as far as respect, consideration, boundaries \u2014 was indeed disheartening,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny member of the board should have accepted responsibility and held each other accountable for the treatment of the staff,\u201d Weaver added. \u201cAnd they didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
To reach TIFFANY REPECKI \/ trepecki@breezenewspapers.com, please email <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The allegations: Inappropriate comments made about their physical appearance. Directed to do non-job-related tasks like personal assistants. Screamed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394848,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-394847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=394847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/394848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=394847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=394847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=394847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}